How to Make a Chalkboard Sign With Crackle Finish
This tutorial will guide you step-by-step through the process of creating a spring themed chalkboard sign with a colorful crackled finish!
The first thing you want to do is measure off a 1.5” border around your board and tape it off with painter’s tape.
Next, paint the edges of your board, and the outside border in the color Happy Hour and let the paint dry for about 30 minutes before moving on to the next step. *TIP: You can use a hair dryer to speed up drying time!
Once the edges of your board are completely dry, cover them with yellow Frog tape. This is to make sure that the edges of your board keep the color Happy Hour and aren’t blended in with any of the other colors.
Next you are going to use our Crackle Medium and apply it over top of our painted border. The trick to getting the best crackle effect is to apply a thick enough coat of the Crackle Medium. You don’t want it too thick but it should be a bit thicker than you would normally apply paint. It is also important that you let this layer dry completely before moving on. Again you can use your hair drying to speed up the drying process.
While you are waiting for your Crackle Medium to dry you can start getting your paint colors ready for the next step. Pick 4 different colors and pour them into a clean cup one at a time, do not mix them together. I picked some colors that I thought were perfect for Spring; Tropical Cocktail, Fresh Mustard, Full Bloom and Crinoline.
You are going to use two paint brushes for the next step, dip them one at a time into your paint, again being careful not to mix the colors up too much.
When you are sure that your coat of Crackle Medium is completely dry you can start applying your paint colors by dragging your paint brush slowly over your board. Try not to go back and forth as this will deactivate the crackle medium. Simply apply in one motion and leave it alone. Dip your second paintbrush in the cup and apply it on the areas that aren’t painted yet.
As the paint dries you will start to see the awesome crackling effect! To speed this up, you can use your blow dryer again.
Next paint the area inside of the tape, I used Happy Hour again and did two coats, this will be the background of your chalkboard so you want opaque coverage. Let these two coats dry and then remove the tape.
Then tape off a border between the two sections of paint. Before you put the tape on your fresh paint, you want to make sure it is completely dry. Again, a blow dryer comes in handy.
Paint this border with 2 coats of Crinoline, and once that is dry you can remove all the tape.
Now your sign is finished and you can write your message using a chalk pen! I used a Chalk Ink marker that I bought at a local art supply store.
You can reuse the chalkboard sign and update the message to fit the season!
If you have any questions, please feel free to visit www.countrychicpaint.com; there is a “live chat” option for you to get immediate replies to your questions!
Materials used for this project:
-A 10x12” piece of MDF board (you can use any size)
-All-in-One Decor Paint in the colors Happy Hour, Tropical Cocktail, Full Bloom, Fresh Mustard and Crinoline
-Country Chic Paint Crackle Medium
-2 oval paint brushes
-A ruler
-A pencil
-A plastic cup
-Yellow Frog Tape
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Wonderful Idea! So Easter-y! Love the use of the crackle medium and the multi color application. Very inspirational! I'm thinking ahead to red, white and blue.................hmmmmmm : )
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